“The Zambelli! The Zambelli! “, the passers-by present in this restaurant in Sao Paulo are alarmed by what is happening before their eyes. MP Carla Zambelli, supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro, entered the establishment with a gun pointed at a man. The scene took place in the tense context of the presidential elections in Brazil. The second round of voting began this Sunday, October 30, opposing the ultranationalist Bolsonaro to the socialist Lula.
To explain her gesture, the deputy posted a video on her Instagram account where she claims to have been insulted and then pushed to the ground by several men while she was in the neighborhood. Which would have led her and one of her supporters to draw their weapons and chase a man into the restaurant.
Since Bolsonaro came to power, gun laws have been relaxed and the number of firearms in circulation has skyrocketed. However, during electoral weekends the carrying of weapons is prohibited, following a decision of the Electoral Tribunal in September 2022. Alexis Moares, head of the electoral tribunal explained that “The measure aims to guarantee the free exercise of the right to vote people, excluding any possibility of coercion during the vote. »
Carla Zambelli explained in the local media that she was well aware of the existence of this measure but that according to her “The resolution is illegal and illegal orders must not be respected. I ignored and will continue to deliberately ignore the resolution”.